The following are English song lyrics that you can use at schools or at English conversation classes. These are PDFs and not Word documents since the files may not display correctly if your computer does not have the universal design font installed. If you would like the Word document instead to make any edits, please contact us.
If you find any mistakes in the lyrics, please let us know!
| 1️⃣ | 1st year of junior high school |
| 2️⃣ | 2nd year of junior high school |
| 3️⃣ | 3rd year of junior high school |
Note that this may differ from you school’s textbook
Anna Kendrick: Cups (When I’m Gone) 2️⃣
“When”. If your school is strict about alcohol or tobacco references, keep in mind that this song has one line about whiskey. It may be a good end-of-year activity for graduating students to play along to this song. You can buy sturdy acrylic cups at Daiso.
Avicii: The Nights 2️⃣
Storytelling, commands, past tense, and future tense. Note: the song may be too fast for some students.
Avril Lavigne: Sk8er Boi 1️⃣2️⃣
Present, present continuous, and future tenses.
Backstreet Boys: I Want It That Way 1️⃣
Be verbs (“You are”, “Am I…?) and commands (“Tell me why…”). This song is well known in Japan. Your students’ parents might even know this song.
Banners: Someone to You 1️⃣
“I want to be…” Note: the song may be too fast for some students.
The Beatles: Hello, Goodbye 1️⃣3️⃣
Commands, opposites, indirect interrogative sentences. (間接疑問文). This simple song is in the New Horizon textbook for 1st-year students.
Ben E. King: Stand By Me 1️⃣
Practicing commands. This song is well known in Japan.
Daniel Powter: Bad Day1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣
Present, future, and present perfect tenses. Double negatives
Hirai Dai: A Good Day 1️⃣3️⃣
Present continuous. The New Horizon textbook for the 3rd year of junior high school covers “make + noun/pronoun + adjective”, but this song shows that the adjective can be replaced by a verb. This song is very simple. Note that this artist chose not to include be verbs when using the present continuous tense.
Imagine Dragons: Believer 3️⃣
The New Horizon textbook for the 3rd year of junior high school covers “make + noun/pronoun + adjective”, but this song shows that the adjective can be replaced by a noun or pronoun. Note: the song may be too fast for some students.
John Denver: Take Me Home, Country Roads 1️⃣
Practicing commands. This song is well known in Japan.
One Direction: Story of My Life 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣
Present, future, and present perfect tenses. There is a line in the song that is not grammatically correct (“She don’t feel…”), but discussing with your students why the lyrics were written this way may be interesting.
One Direction: What Makes You Beautiful 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣
Present, conjunctions, present perfect tenses, subjunctive mood.
One OK Rock: Stand Out Fit In 1️⃣3️⃣
Antonyms and commands. It also has lines using the present perfect tense (現在完了形 経験用法). The music video is beautiful and is worth showing to your students!
One OK Rock: Wherever You Are
“Wherever” and “whatever”. Note: parts of the song are in Japanese
OneRepublic: Counting Stars 3️⃣
Present perfect continuous form (現在完了進行形).
Owl City & Carly Rae Jepson: Good Time 1️⃣
Past tense.
Rachel Platten: Fight Song 1️⃣2️⃣
“This is”, “like”, “can”, future tense.
Vanessa Carlton: A Thousand Miles 3️⃣
Subjunctive mood/仮定法. Students may be interested in listening to One OK Rock’s cover of this song on YouTube.
We The Kings: Say You Like Me 2️⃣
“Never” and conditional sentences. If your school is strict about alcohol or tobacco references, keep in mind that this song has one line about nicotine.
Christmas Songs
Jonas Brothers: Like It’s Christmas 1️⃣
Present continuous form (現在進行形). Note: there is one part at the end of the song that is fast, so it may be difficult for some students.
Michael Bublé: Holly Jolly Christmas 1️⃣3️⃣
Commands (Have a…). It also has two lines using the passive voice (受け身).
Sia: Candy Cane Lane 1️⃣2️⃣
Colors and future tense.